’68 Triumph TR6 – “The Trumpet”

Ahhh – the classics. They’re hard to beat, yes? In architecture they have the Doric column, in music you have Beethoven and in philosophy there’s Socrates. When it comes to cuisine you have Duck a l’Orange, In art we have Michelangelo, and with languages you have Latin. But what do we have in the world of custom bikes? As much as I’d like to think that Caesar would spend most Sundays causing trouble in the back streets of Rome on board a very, very early version of a bevel Ducati, I’m almost certain that it never actually happened. So where does that leave us? I’ll tell you where. With the humble yet beautiful bobbed ’60s Triumph hardtail. It’s a Venus de Milo made from chrome, oil, and rubber I tell you. And right at this very moment, I can think of no more perfect example of this art form than this classic ’68 example made by Danish artisan Daniel Peter Dyrberg. Enjoy.

Here’s Daniel. “The story about this bike is that I have always had the need for building, creating and getting my ideas constructed. Back in the days during my education as a smith, I started a small business at the technical college, engine rebuilding and tuning the other boys mopeds, having my closet in the locker room filled with new parts, took their bikes home in the afternoon rebuild them during the evening and delivered them back next morning after I had given them a couple of hundred kilometers in the morning.”

“But time went and I never managed to get it any further. A couple of years ago in the beginning of my thirties I got the dream back on track, and the design for this one (#1) goes back to these technical college days. I found the frame in a US imported container that just came home to a classic bike dealer, and the rest here and there, but never had any doubt about the design. Everything on the bike is new, or totally rebuilt.”

“During this build, the ideas for new designs, other brands and styles just kept coming. Often it came in the way for finishing what I had started, many of my thoughts just was impossible to put in to this #1 bike, so I just had to do one more, really I JUST HAD TO! Actually the next one halfway done was one of my RD400, which was stripped and started shaping, but then I just had abandon it to leave space for a Kawa Z400. I can’t say what it is, but the passion can come and go for each project, it is like a process I have to go through.”

“The next project I am working on now is, as I said, a Kawasaki Z400 from ’76 (#2 – The Budget), other projects lying in my garage is another RD400’s, another T120 Triumph, one BSA M21- this one is going to be a really old school girder setup.”

And if you are impressed enough by what you see here to puy your money where your drooling mouth is, the Trumpet is up for sale. Direct all enquiries to me and I’ll pass them on to Daniel. What’s that? A commission? OK – but only if you insist.

Related Bikes

Daniel well describes that drive and inspiration to create. You can’t call it intangible because when you feel it you FEEL it. If you’ll allow, it’s a spitirtual experience -not a religious one. But what might that religion be called anyway? Moto-mechano-tarianism? Cycle-creationism? Combustion-cyclesism? Eh, I’m not the religious type but I am impressed with this work.

GuitarSlinger

As to the creative drive and whether or not one has it : I always like to refer people to Renoir’s quote when the artists nephew asked him how the youth would know whether or not he should be an Artist .
Renoir’s answer was short , blunt and to the point . He said ;

” How do you know when you have to pee ? ”

You just have to being the point . No choice in the matter . No pretentious decisions . No search for ‘ Inner Meaning ‘ or god forbid ‘ creative expression ‘

You just HAVE to !

As to this M/C ?

Nice . Very 60’s 70’s bobber influenced ….. Not a Top Ten IMHO , nor is it all that original a concept ……. but its a good one .

davmo

Dang GuitarSlinger, you hit a nerve. A good one, though. I love the Renoir quote. Like Daniel said, that need to create is just there. I have a garage full of in-progress bikes
that each get sporadic, manic attention. The bike is a beauty, and a good example of how the hardtail/bobber can be done in fine enough fashion that even GuitarSlinger could give it a tip of his hat. And hey, who doesn’t dig a Triumph? (Norton owners need not answer my rhetorical question.) Slinger, my first real ax: 1977 ES335T, translucent red, just like Eddie VH used to play (just so you know I am one of the poverty-box brethren.)

Really like this one, nice and simple / clean. Normally not a fan of the whitewalls, but they really work on this one, especially balanced with the white grips and the accent on the seat. Another thing I really like is that this bike has brakes, a horn, etc. – a bike that can actually be ridden on the street. Function over form! (or both in this case)

Ray Ranson

Beautiful bike. Also, that was as close to a Pulitzer as you could possibly get. Love the site, articles and writing here on Pipeburn

vachequipis

Nice & clean a sweet build. It might not be the most original, but it would certainly make me stop and look if I passed it on the street. Not bad for a #1 build, look forward to seeing the next.

revdub

Very clean. Great article as well. I’m really starting to like these bobbers.

GLOCK 22

Its a beautiful bike, but what a damn shame they had touse such a large license plate!!!

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

At least it is a historically correct license plate. The newer, white-with-black-letters reflective one is slightly smaller.

Vorhese

This style of hardtail Triumph “bobber” has become in-vogue recently. 4″-6″ stretch, side pipes, whitewalls, usually a DNA springer. If you look at the bikes by Dan at Angry Monkey, they all look like this. Dan has had a bit of a presence on the net for a few years, and many copycats have turned up.

Very clean and pretty. Very safe in design, but it seems to hit all the marks.

Paddy

Absolutely lovely bobber. Great pipes! But is the rear subframe really held on by those little thru-bolts? Also, as usual, I hate hardtails. And the riders back will get filthy on every ride! Form over function every time.

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

Really nice bike, and here in Denmark illegal on at least five counts.

Daniel

As far as i understand the regulations, only problem here is the hardtail, and the numberplate fitted on the side. But Lauge Jensen is allowed to side mount licens plate, and other EU countries as well, so it is always up to a discussion. Besides the bike was mot’ed last year without no remarks. I know that it dosn’t mean that there arent any.

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

After vehicle inspection were privatized things got a whole lot easier than before, and with bikes decades older than the guy actually doing the inspection, he’ll usually take your word that it has not been altered in any serious way. Which is great for us who like things a bit different.

On this bike the questionable things I noticed right off were:

1) Modified frame (passed inspection, tolerated by the police, sure, but a non-stock hardtail still too major a modification to be legal).

2) Licence plate location (maybe/maybe not legal on the side, but not ‘behind’ the bike as required – I’ve had some trouble over this).

3) Straight pipes (before actual decibel limits, there had to be ‘noise dampening’ of some sort).

4) No front fender.

5) Rear fender too short (has to reach back at least to where the rear axle is).

The photos are pretty trippy. The wall in the background kinda looks like the road.

JimmyR14

Haha – you’re right! Those crazy Danes have put the road on the wall and the wall on the road!

FWIW I can empathise with “the need to create”. Esp when funds are in short supply. I built my own push bike as a teenager – bought a dragster frame for 5 bucks off a friend, saved until I could buy a wheel… The last thing I bought was the brakes, much to my mother’s dismay.

Then when I got into playing rockabilly I taught myself how to build tweed style guitar amps because you never see them here in Australia and I couldn’t afford the replicas. I think the warm feeling of riding your own-built bike can only be matched by playing a gig through an amp you built yourself.

Anyway the bike above is extremely cool! Having been riding my own build around the block lately though I have discovered why fenders were invented. The rear fender here is beautifully judged aesthetically but I think a slightly longer version would still look good and be way more functional. And a front fender doesn’t HAVE to look bad – just see it as a design challenge.

arnold

Attractive show bike. I guess they put air filters on when they’re out at Bike Nite at the Dairy Queen.

Zundap

Triumph, The king of coolness. ..Z

GuitarSlinger

Nahhhhhh ! The true king of ‘ Coolness ‘ is a Vincent . Especially when its been worked over by the likes of Jeff Decker and Simon Mills . Don’t get me wrong now . Triumphs are just fine . But in comparison to a Vincent ….. well ……. Triumphs are a bit … how shall I say this …… Pedestrian .

BTW >>>>> ANDREW !!! ( that get your attention ? ) You might want to consider doing a feature on both Jeff Deckers and Simon Mills ( you can find SM’s bike on the Southsiders site ) Vincent customs. ( apologies ahead of time if I’ve missed out on you doing so previously ) ( BTW Falcon’s ‘ Black Falcon ‘ Vincent custom is mighty fine as well : but until I’ve seen it running I’m excluding it from my list . Beautiful bike though )

arnold

May I modify a bit G.S? BSA are Pedestrian, Triumph you’d take to the Prom; Vincents you’d marry for their money and Broughs………… well………..

GuitarSlinger

Errrrrr…. well …. the two Vincents I’m talkin about ( Simon Mills and Jeff Decker’s custom bikes ) you wouldn’t marry … for money or otherwise .. You’d ride either up to local the Country Club to display the international one fingered salute to all the snobs inside ….. blasting off into the sunset knowing your bike is worth more than 90% of what they’re riding/driving home that night .Not to mention that every one of their wives/girlfriends/escorts/mistresses are wishing they were going home with you rather than the prig they’re stuck with for the night 😉

And …. anyway Triumphs … especially since the re-emergence of the Hinkley Triumphs are about as common as rain in London …… so ……….. not cool . Maybe still mildly ‘ Hip ‘ But definitely not cool .

Having said all that though ( phew ) …. THIS Triumph is cool . Despite itself 8)

Zundap

I guess Steve McQueen was not cool, and that would apply to Marlon Brando, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood,and Ann Margret just to mention a few riders who could afford a Vincent but rode a Triumph. I can,t recall ever seeing a Vincent on a flat track,scramble track ,Baha or jump the fountains at Ceasers Palace. No doubt that the Vincent is one of the all time awesome bikes but the real Triumphs ( right shifters ) don’t take a back seat to any bike.And yes I did ride my 1963 TR6 to the prom in 63. BTW my Dad wouldn’t let me buy a Vincent. He said they were to fast. ..Z

I have mixed feelings about it. But I am glad that he didn’t cut up an intact bike to build it.

MotoTrooper

Daniel well describes that drive and inspiration to create. You can’t call it intangible because when you feel it you FEEL it. If you’ll allow, it’s a spitirtual experience -not a religious one. But what might that religion be called anyway? Moto-mechano-tarianism? Cycle-creationism? Combustion-cyclesism? Eh, I’m not the religious type but I am impressed with this work.

GuitarSlinger

As to the creative drive and whether or not one has it : I always like to refer people to Renoir’s quote when the artists nephew asked him how the youth would know whether or not he should be an Artist .
Renoir’s answer was short , blunt and to the point . He said ;

” How do you know when you have to pee ? ”

You just have to being the point . No choice in the matter . No pretentious decisions . No search for ‘ Inner Meaning ‘ or god forbid ‘ creative expression ‘

You just HAVE to !

As to this M/C ?

Nice . Very 60’s 70’s bobber influenced ….. Not a Top Ten IMHO , nor is it all that original a concept ……. but its a good one .

davmo

Dang GuitarSlinger, you hit a nerve. A good one, though. I love the Renoir quote. Like Daniel said, that need to create is just there. I have a garage full of in-progress bikes
that each get sporadic, manic attention. The bike is a beauty, and a good example of how the hardtail/bobber can be done in fine enough fashion that even GuitarSlinger could give it a tip of his hat. And hey, who doesn’t dig a Triumph? (Norton owners need not answer my rhetorical question.) Slinger, my first real ax: 1977 ES335T, translucent red, just like Eddie VH used to play (just so you know I am one of the poverty-box brethren.)

Really like this one, nice and simple / clean. Normally not a fan of the whitewalls, but they really work on this one, especially balanced with the white grips and the accent on the seat. Another thing I really like is that this bike has brakes, a horn, etc. – a bike that can actually be ridden on the street. Function over form! (or both in this case)

Ray Ranson

Beautiful bike. Also, that was as close to a Pulitzer as you could possibly get. Love the site, articles and writing here on Pipeburn

vachequipis

Nice & clean a sweet build. It might not be the most original, but it would certainly make me stop and look if I passed it on the street. Not bad for a #1 build, look forward to seeing the next.

revdub

Very clean. Great article as well. I’m really starting to like these bobbers.

GLOCK 22

Its a beautiful bike, but what a damn shame they had touse such a large license plate!!!

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

At least it is a historically correct license plate. The newer, white-with-black-letters reflective one is slightly smaller.

Vorhese

This style of hardtail Triumph “bobber” has become in-vogue recently. 4″-6″ stretch, side pipes, whitewalls, usually a DNA springer. If you look at the bikes by Dan at Angry Monkey, they all look like this. Dan has had a bit of a presence on the net for a few years, and many copycats have turned up.

Very clean and pretty. Very safe in design, but it seems to hit all the marks.

Paddy

Absolutely lovely bobber. Great pipes! But is the rear subframe really held on by those little thru-bolts? Also, as usual, I hate hardtails. And the riders back will get filthy on every ride! Form over function every time.

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

Really nice bike, and here in Denmark illegal on at least five counts.

Daniel

As far as i understand the regulations, only problem here is the hardtail, and the numberplate fitted on the side. But Lauge Jensen is allowed to side mount licens plate, and other EU countries as well, so it is always up to a discussion. Besides the bike was mot’ed last year without no remarks. I know that it dosn’t mean that there arent any.

kimscholer@vip.cybercity.dk sc

After vehicle inspection were privatized things got a whole lot easier than before, and with bikes decades older than the guy actually doing the inspection, he’ll usually take your word that it has not been altered in any serious way. Which is great for us who like things a bit different.

On this bike the questionable things I noticed right off were:

1) Modified frame (passed inspection, tolerated by the police, sure, but a non-stock hardtail still too major a modification to be legal).

2) Licence plate location (maybe/maybe not legal on the side, but not ‘behind’ the bike as required – I’ve had some trouble over this).

3) Straight pipes (before actual decibel limits, there had to be ‘noise dampening’ of some sort).

4) No front fender.

5) Rear fender too short (has to reach back at least to where the rear axle is).

The photos are pretty trippy. The wall in the background kinda looks like the road.

JimmyR14

Haha – you’re right! Those crazy Danes have put the road on the wall and the wall on the road!

FWIW I can empathise with “the need to create”. Esp when funds are in short supply. I built my own push bike as a teenager – bought a dragster frame for 5 bucks off a friend, saved until I could buy a wheel… The last thing I bought was the brakes, much to my mother’s dismay.

Then when I got into playing rockabilly I taught myself how to build tweed style guitar amps because you never see them here in Australia and I couldn’t afford the replicas. I think the warm feeling of riding your own-built bike can only be matched by playing a gig through an amp you built yourself.

Anyway the bike above is extremely cool! Having been riding my own build around the block lately though I have discovered why fenders were invented. The rear fender here is beautifully judged aesthetically but I think a slightly longer version would still look good and be way more functional. And a front fender doesn’t HAVE to look bad – just see it as a design challenge.

arnold

Attractive show bike. I guess they put air filters on when they’re out at Bike Nite at the Dairy Queen.

Zundap

Triumph, The king of coolness. ..Z

GuitarSlinger

Nahhhhhh ! The true king of ‘ Coolness ‘ is a Vincent . Especially when its been worked over by the likes of Jeff Decker and Simon Mills . Don’t get me wrong now . Triumphs are just fine . But in comparison to a Vincent ….. well ……. Triumphs are a bit … how shall I say this …… Pedestrian .

BTW >>>>> ANDREW !!! ( that get your attention ? ) You might want to consider doing a feature on both Jeff Deckers and Simon Mills ( you can find SM’s bike on the Southsiders site ) Vincent customs. ( apologies ahead of time if I’ve missed out on you doing so previously ) ( BTW Falcon’s ‘ Black Falcon ‘ Vincent custom is mighty fine as well : but until I’ve seen it running I’m excluding it from my list . Beautiful bike though )

arnold

May I modify a bit G.S? BSA are Pedestrian, Triumph you’d take to the Prom; Vincents you’d marry for their money and Broughs………… well………..

GuitarSlinger

Errrrrr…. well …. the two Vincents I’m talkin about ( Simon Mills and Jeff Decker’s custom bikes ) you wouldn’t marry … for money or otherwise .. You’d ride either up to local the Country Club to display the international one fingered salute to all the snobs inside ….. blasting off into the sunset knowing your bike is worth more than 90% of what they’re riding/driving home that night .Not to mention that every one of their wives/girlfriends/escorts/mistresses are wishing they were going home with you rather than the prig they’re stuck with for the night 😉

And …. anyway Triumphs … especially since the re-emergence of the Hinkley Triumphs are about as common as rain in London …… so ……….. not cool . Maybe still mildly ‘ Hip ‘ But definitely not cool .

Having said all that though ( phew ) …. THIS Triumph is cool . Despite itself 8)

Zundap

I guess Steve McQueen was not cool, and that would apply to Marlon Brando, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood,and Ann Margret just to mention a few riders who could afford a Vincent but rode a Triumph. I can,t recall ever seeing a Vincent on a flat track,scramble track ,Baha or jump the fountains at Ceasers Palace. No doubt that the Vincent is one of the all time awesome bikes but the real Triumphs ( right shifters ) don’t take a back seat to any bike.And yes I did ride my 1963 TR6 to the prom in 63. BTW my Dad wouldn’t let me buy a Vincent. He said they were to fast. ..Z